


The Crow Calls

by ItsYa1UPBoy



Series: The Crow Calls (Main works) [1]
Category: Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan, Etrian Odyssey Series
Genre: (multiple times), Alcoholism, Attempted Murder, Attempted Suicide, Gen, I'm going to add warnings and tags as they come up, I'm not terribly far into this long fic but maybe publishing will motivate me to continue, as a preface there will be:, copious usage of alcohol as a coping mechanism, lots of blood and fighting naturally, lots of profanity, lotsa gay shit, those of you who've read my oneshots know a lot of what's coming up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-15 04:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17522336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsYa1UPBoy/pseuds/ItsYa1UPBoy
Summary: Marianne Katsaros has decided, after all this time, to found her own guild and forge a path to Yggdrasil. But was she really prepared to take on all these strange guildmates? Between the drunken Landsknecht, the easily agitated Nightseeker, the secretive Medic, and her kid sister, a prodigious Runemaster, she was going to have one hell of a time keeping everyone in line...





	1. Swords Clashing

**Author's Note:**

> Portraits used:
> 
> Edge- blonde Imperial
> 
> Marianne- short hair, blonde Fortress
> 
> Lis- long, white hair Nightseeker
> 
> Miku- Miku Arcanist alt
> 
> Mia- blonde kid Runemaster
> 
> The Guildmaster is referred to as "Guildmaster Katsaros" at times because I needed a surname for him and his daughters. ;)
> 
> I'm not terribly far into writing this yet-- Chapter 5, I think --but maybe publishing what I have will motivate me to continue! :D
> 
> Those of you who have already read my oneshots know some secrets. ;) If you're new and don't want spoilers, don't read the "The Crow Calls (Oneshots)" series!

“Yoooooo~”

Marianne glanced up from the paper in front of her. She groaned as she saw a blonde swordsman drunkenly stumbling over to her table. The boy in front of her looked behind his shoulder, and she could simultaneously see his face pale in horror and his ears redden with secondhand embarrassment.

Marianne stood up with a start and stepped around the table in front of the ivory-haired boy.

“I’ve told you, I can’t sign you on in good conscience,” she said sternly to the swordsman, who was in front of her now, weaving where he stood, an idiotic grin adorning his face.

“And I told _you_ , I hafta sign onna a guild _today_ ,” he slurred, never breaking face.

“Fuck off,” the young man snapped, peering out from behind Marianne.

“Let me handle this,” Marianne muttered. She turned back to the blond.

“Come back tomorrow, when you’ve sobered up.”

“I can’t do it t’morrow…”

“Well then I don’t know what to tell you.”

Marianne frowned and crossed her arms.

“Wait, yes I do. If you don’t leave the premises, we will have you escorted out by security. Is that cl---”

The blond suddenly collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud.

“Bloody fool,” the boy mumbled, staring at the unconscious man with disgust.

Marianne crouched down and began looking the blond over. He had no visible injuries, from his fall or otherwise. He did, however, reek of alcohol, and his round face was flushed a deep red. His breathing was slow and quiet, but steady.

She wondered how he’d gotten the scars, new and old, that littered his well-toned shoulders and upper arms. Between that and his-- admittedly shoddy, but nontheless well-worn --Tharsian Landsknecht armor, she could tell that he was actually a warrior, and not just some overly confident drunkard.

She stayed crouched down for a moment, the man propped up on her knee and cradled loosely in her arms, and considered what her father might do in a situation like this.

After some time lost in thought, she nodded.

“Lis, can you hand me one of the cards, please?”

“Wh-what!? Surely you can’t mean to---”

“Lis, if you will, please.”

The black-clad boy standing behind her sighed and turned to the table, taking a small card out of a case on the table. He crouched down beside Marianne and held it out to her.

“Thank you. Just wait behind me, okay?”

She flashed Lis a reassuring smile and took the card from him. Once he stood back up and turned away, she looked back to the man in her arms.

Despite his little show, he obviously had resolve; she thought back to the several times today that he’d come in, asking to join her guild specifically-- perhaps because her table was close to the front.

And resolve was something that Marianne valued greatly.

With her free hand, she tucked the card into the pocket of his red pants. She took him more securely into her arms and stood up carefully.

“Now then, where should I take him…?” she muttered to herself.

“Mari? What’s wrong?”

Marianne jumped at the sound of her father’s booming voice. She whirled around, her cheeks burning hot with shock and self-consciousness. But when her father saw her holding someone in her arms, he just laughed.

“Is this the guy you were telling me about earlier?” he asked in a surprisingly nonchalant tone. 

Lis scoffed. Surely, he thought, this man was as alarmed by this as he and Marianne?

“Y-yeah,” Marianne stammered, meeting her father and holding the unconscious swordsman out for him to inspect. “He came in a few times and… I-I could barely understand him, but I think he said his name was---”

“Edge,” the swarthy man interrupted. His face had turned serious; his eyes darted over the man’s figure in a simultaneously familiar and curious manner.

“E-Edge…?”

The moniker seemed familiar to Marianne, and she wracked her brain trying to remember when and where she’d heard it before.

Her father pulled her closer and whispered into her ear.

“Or, that’s what we called him, when we found him on the edge of the Windy Plains, at the mouth of the ravine.”

Marianne’s breath hitched in her throat. Surely, this man wasn’t…

“Gods, things haven’t really been going well for him these past years, have they?” she said in a hushed tone, a sardonic laugh escaping her throat.

The Guildmaster shook his head, a sorrowful expression on his face. “He registered as an explorer here, and I offered to take him under my wing, but he adamantly refused. Said he couldn’t kill me like he did the others. And that was the last anyone involved ever saw of him...until now.”

Lis coughed conspicuously from where he stood at the table.

“Um, I hate to break up this little family reunion, but I really need to get going soon.”

“I’ll take him from here.”

The Guildmaster took Edge out of Marianne’s arms and into his own. As he turned to leave, Marianne looked over at Lis.

“Sorry about the wait,” she said in a cool yet chipper manner as she took her seat back behind the table. “Now then, where were we…?”

She scanned the paperwork in front of her.

“Ah, right. This all looks great.”

She tore the last sheet off of the packet of three and handed it to Lis.

“Make sure to keep this safe. Otherwise it might as well be like you don’t exist here!”

She chuckled, but Lis’s face turned pale at the joking statement.

“Er… Sorry, sorry. I probably shouldn’t joke like that…”

She blushed, and her smile turned tight and thin as she cast her gaze downward. Lis nodded and took the sheet from her.

“Good day.”

“Ah, wait!”

Marianne grabbed one of the cards like she’d given Edge and held it out over the table to Lis, who had already started to walk away.

“This has all of the important information on it about out first meeting as a guild. And the inn I’ve got reserved as well.”

Lis took the card with a befuddled expression and began looking it over.

“How am I to pay for my room?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be taking care of that.”

Marianne flashed another one of her reassuring smiles, and Lis’s expression softened.

“Alright then. Thank you, and good day.”

He slipped his form and card into the breast of his cloak, nodded curtly, and walked out of the grand hall. Once Marianne was sure he was gone, she buried her face in her hands and sighed. Her eyes were sore with exhaustion.

She glanced up at the ceiling through her fingers. Her thoughts were racing madly through her head, and shame too; she could barely manage to hire one reasonable guildmate, or deal with someone harassing her on her own.

She shook her head. She couldn’t wallow in her shame. Besides, she had things to do. With that in mind, she sat back down at her table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guild Muninn:
> 
> Marianne Katsaros
> 
> Age: 25
> 
> Class: Fortress
> 
> Guild head
> 
> \---
> 
> Lis Edwards
> 
> Age: 17
> 
> Class: Nightseeker
> 
> Guild member
> 
> \---


	2. The Medic and the Mage

“Alright, everyone! Time to start packing it up!”

The Guildmaster’s voice resounded through the grand hall and cut through the din of explorers’ chatter. Marianne’s gaze flickered over to where her father was standing, but soon focused back on the main entrance.

She swept her gaze over the grand hall, searching for something particular, but when she didn’t find it, her face fell.

With a sigh, she kicked the tablecloth out of her way, bent down in her seat, and grabbed an olive bag out from underneath the table. As she opened it, she glanced around one last time, but was met with disappointment yet again.

She began stuffing her various odds and ends into her bag- pens, forms, cards, and so forth. Slowly, as she drifted further and further into her thoughts, the room cleared out, the chatter grew quieter, until finally, only a few stragglers were left, including herself.

She latched her bag shut and swung it over her shoulder. She ran a hand through her short blonde hair and sighed again. She was way too tired; her vision was starting to go blurry…

She wrapped the tablecloth around her arm; she could fold it later.

“Ms. Marianne! If you could please…!”

Marianne flinched and looked up. A young girl was racing towards her, one hand holding her hood over her head, the other clutching the strap of a green leather bag. She skidded to a stop on the smooth marble floor, her black cloak flapping around her and finally settling around her. Marianne couldn’t see much of her figure, because her cloak was clasped near the top, and had sleeves that covered her arms, but her fingers looked almost bony, and her skin was porcelain white. She’d seen this girl at the inn several times before, and always worried that she wasn’t getting enough to eat at the apothecary where she lived and worked.

Now the girl was out of breath, hunched slightly, her electric blue hair windblown and frizzy. Marianne clasped her thin- far too thin -shoulder with an expression of concern.

“Are you alright, Miku? Do you need to sit down?”

Miku nodded, and Marianne wrapped an arm around her tiny shoulders and led her over to the chair. Miku sat down and hunched over and put her hands on her knees; her hood slipped down over her eyes.

“You’re lucky you caught me; I was just about to leave.”

Marianne slung her bag up onto the table and pulled out a pen and a form packet. She sat them on the table as she dug around in the bag for a few minutes. Miku, now breathing steadily, shyly took the pen and began filling the form out.

Once Marianne had a card for Miku, she clasped her bag shut and glanced over at the girl.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, Miku…”

Miku froze mid-stroke.

“What’s that staff on your back?”

The teen’s grip on the pen tightened and she frowned.

“It is...ah… I… I am afraid I do not know how to explain it…”

Marianne nodded. “Is it some sort of magic?” she inquired.

“Yes,” Miku replied softly, her gaze distant. “My ancestors, they… They are able to draw on the powers of the earth itself to disable their foes. This staff helps us to channel these abilities… It is a traditional design of...of my tribe.”

“Wow, that’s so cool,” Marianne replied, visibly awestruck. “I don’t think I ever encountered any clan with staves like that in all my travels.”

“They are very insular.”

And with that short reply, Miku handed her form and pen to Marianne. Marianne tore the last sheet off and handed it and the card to Miku.

“That card tells when our first meeting as a guild’s going to be, and the inn that we’ll be staying at. I’ve already reserved and paid for our rooms, so you ca---”

“Mari?”

Marianne and Miku looked behind them to see a young girl peering around the corner. She was wearing a brown dress and colorful Nordic hat. Her bright blue eyes were inquiring as she stared at Miku.

“Daddy says dinner’s ready, so you should come up here!”

“One moment, I’m doing something for work.”

“Okay! I’ll tell Daddy you’ll be up in a few minutes then!”

And with that, the girl bounded back around the corner and up the stairs.

“Who was that?”

“That was my little sister, Mia… Dad said it’d be good for her to get out and see the world, and hone her magical skills in the labyrinth… I’m really wary about it, but I’m the only one he trusts with her, so…”

She glanced down at Miku.

“Y-you…you don’t mind working with a kid, do you?”

Miku smiled. “Not at all,” she answered. “I am simply pleased to be in a guild.”

Marianne broke out into a wide smile of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I’m going to break the news to the others on the first meeting, so keep this under your hat- er, hood...okay?”

Miku nodded. “I understand, Ms. Marianne. I shall act accordingly.”

She stood up, and her cloak swished around her. She adjusted her hood and her bag.

“Thank you so much for allowing me to join your guild, Ms. Marianne.”

She bowed deeply. Marianne smiled and bowed back. And with that, Miku exited the grand hall.

Once she was gone, Marianne turned and stared at the stairs with a wistful expression. Sounds of laughter and conversation rang from the dining hall upstairs; she could hear her father’s booming laughter above everyone else’s, and Mia’s crystal voice ringing out over the din.

Hearing Mia’s pre-adolescent voice sent a shudder down Marianne’s spine; usually, her father turned away anyone under sixteen.

She shook her head and turned to the table and began folding it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guild Muninn:
> 
> Marianne Katsaros
> 
> Age: 25
> 
> Class: Fortress
> 
> Guild head
> 
> \---
> 
> Lis Edwards
> 
> Age: 17
> 
> Class: Nightseeker
> 
> Guild member
> 
> \---
> 
> Mia Katsaros
> 
> Age: 10
> 
> Class: Runemaster
> 
> Guild member
> 
> \---
> 
> Miku Lin
> 
> Age: 17
> 
> Class: Medic
> 
> Guild member


	3. First Meeting, First Mission

“Right, okay. So we’re all here then?”

Marianne looked over the group sitting in front of her. A sulky Nightseeker with ivory-white hair and piercing red eyes; a ghastly pale young Medic with electric blue hair covering the right half of her face and a black cloak engulfing her stickish figure; an alarmingly young Runemaster dressed in brown winter clothes, her wide blue eyes shining with childish excitement.

“What’s that _kid_ doing here?” the Nightseeker snapped, jerking his head over at the Runemaster.

“She’s a member of our guild,” Marianne replied with a small, professional smile, seemingly ignoring the Nightseeker’s annoyance. “Her name is Mia, and she’s my younger sister.” The Nightseeker balked at Marianne’s revelation. 

“Are you truly sure that such a young child should be going into the labyrinth, Ms. Marianne…?” the Medic asked almost inaudibly. Marianne shrugged.

“I’m pretty apprehensive myself, but our dad insisted…”

She put her hands on her knees and looked over everyone again.

“We only have four people here, and generally adventuring parties consist of five people. So we’ll need to hold off on exploring the labyrinth until we find someone else. Caution is key to survival. However, I still think it would be good to introduce ourselves.”

“What about Mr. Edge?”

Marianne quirked an eyebrow at Mia’s inquiry. “How do you know about Edge?”

“Daddy brought him up to breakfast this morning! But he didn’t eat very much…”

Mia looked down and tapped her chin, lost in thought.

“In fact, he ended up running out of the room shouting! He looked like he was about to cry! I hope he’s gonna feel better soon.”

The Nightseeker snorted at that revelation, while the Medic fiddled with the leather strap of her medicine bag nervously. Marianne shot the former a sharp glare, and he gulped.

“Now, Mia, why did you think he was coming in?”

“Because he said so! He said he was thinking about joining!”

Marianne sighed and shook her head. “Mia, just because he’s considering it doesn’t me---”

The door to the Saehrimnir Inn slammed open, and the four fledgling adventurers turned to it in shock.

Standing in the doorway was a haggard swordsman, doubled over and gasping for air. He was decked out in Landsknecht armor, his shield and skirt red and white. His shaggy blonde hair was windswept and falling down behind his glasses, which were slipping down his nose as he stood there panting.

He stood up and looked around in confusion before meeting Marianne’s skeptical gaze. The others could see deep dark circles underneath his icy blue eyes and light lines in his round face.

“S...s...sorry… Sorry I’m...late…” he wheezed, his face flushed from exertion.

“Come sit down,” Marianne said shortly, motioning for the man to join her and the others. He followed her command, trudging over to the table they were all sitting around and taking a seat beside the Nightseeker.

“So we do have five members, then,” Marianne said with a tone of finality. “Perfect.”

“Wait a bloody minute.”

“Hmm?”

“This is the drunkard from yesterday! You mean to tell me _he’s_ joining on with us!?”

The Nightseeker was clearly agitated and had visibly recoiled from the man beside him, who wore an easy smile despite his breathlessness.

“If he has the guts to show up here after yesterday’s little incident, then he has the guts to reach Yggdrasil.”

And with that, Marianne had closed the matter.

“Now then, some of us may already know each other, but it would be ideal for us all to introduce ourselves. I’ll start.

“I am Marianne Katsaros, and I am a shieldbearing Fortress. I started this guild because, although I have travelled all over the world with my father, I have never seen Yggdrasil on the northern horizon. And so, I wish to see it for myself.”

She glanced over at her younger sister, who nodded eagerly.

“My name’s Mia. Uh, Mia Katsaros! Mari’s my big sister!”

She smiled proudly at Marianne, who blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“I’m a super-duper strong Runemaster! Sooooo strong that all of Daddy’s trainees are scared to fight me!”

She giggled.

“So Daddy said I should join Mari and help keep her safe! He said I’d get stronger that way! I’m suuuuper excited to fight stuff!”

The others could hear her feet swishing under the table, and seeing her wide, innocent smile, they couldn’t help but feel anxious. Would a little kid really do alright in the labyrinths?

The Medic cleared her throat to break the oppressive silence. “My name… My name is...erm...Miku. Miku...Lin.”

She began rubbing her arm nervously and glanced down at the floor.

“I am, ah, an apothe...apothecary. I worked at the apo...apothecary just across from...from this inn, in fact. We made medicine for the inn and…”

She hugged herself and shrunk further into her cloak. Marianne smiled reassuringly at her and nodded.

“Um… Uh… We… We made medicine for the inn, and...and for the explorers living around here as well.”

She pulled her hood over the top half of her face and curled up even further into herself, if it could have been believed. The Nightseeker looked over at her and muttered something inaudible to the others; Miku glanced up from beneath her hood with a surprised expression and sat up slightly.

“I’ll go next,” the Nightseeker said. “My name is Lis Edwards, and I handle poisons of various sorts. I was trained since I was a kid to use them.”

He pulled a knife out of the breast of his clothes, and instinctively, everyone leaned away from him.

“I take a knife, and I coat it with poison. And then, in battle, I throw it at a monster, and it becomes paralyzed, or blinded, or it falls asleep. Things like that.”

He slipped the knife back into his cloak, and the others visibly relaxed.

“Don’t ask me where I learned this shit; you don’t wanna know.”

His face reddened as he realized what he’d just said in front of a child.

“What does sh---”

“ _That’s an adult word,_ ” Lis and Marianne said simultaneously. Lis shot Marianne an apologetic look, but the Fortress’s brow was furrowed with anger and disapproval.

Edge chuckled. “Looks like I’m gonna have to watch my language around the little rugrat, huh?” He grinned at Mia, who smiled back and waved.

“Hi, Mr. Edge! I’m glad you came!”

“Hey.”

Edge flashed a lazy wave back at the girl before looking back at the general group and speaking.

“You can call me Edge. I mean, he--- _Heck_ , I dunno what _else_ to call myself. I moved to Tharsis about ten years ago and ever since then I’ve supported myself by killing sh--- _Monsters_ in the mine and the Lush Woodlands.”

Marianne’s curiosity was piqued, as evidenced by her puzzled expression. “The Lush Woodlands? How’d you manage to get a boat with the guardsmen?”

Edge winked. “Trade secret, boss,” he replied breezily. “Aaaaanyways, I’ve basically just been wandering around aimlessly. Until yesterday, that is, when apparently I tried to join Marianne here’s guild when I was... _under the influence_ , shall we say. He...heck, I dunno what the ffffffiddlesticks got me to try it, ‘cause I’ve never been interested before, but let’s see how this goes.”

Lis and Miku were trying to stifle giggles at Edge’s attempts not to curse in front of Mia, but muffled snorts were still escaping out from underneath the hands clamped over their mouths.

“Aaaanyways…” Edge continued, ignoring the giggly teenagers. “I’m not a _terribly_ good influence, as the boss can attest, but I’ll try my dam--- _Hardest_ to control myself around the little squirt.”

He shot Lis a haughty smirk, his eyes narrowed with a gleeful sense of superiority. Lis made a disgruntled noise and looked pointedly away from the swordsman.

“Now that we’ve made our introductions, are we all ready to go meet the Outland Count?”

The others looked at Marianne with surprise.

“What, you thought that just because I’m the Guildmaster’s daughter, we’d get let off easy? We have to do the initiation mission just like everyone else. Thankfully, I know what it’s all about, so we’re not going to be floundering about like fools.”

She stood up rather suddenly and started walking to the door. The others scrambled out of their seats and rushed after her.

\-----

“The Count will see you now.”

The page stepped through the door and held it open expectantly for the members of Guild Muninn sitting outside of the Count’s office. Marianne stood up and beckoned the others with a nod. They followed her into the room.

Marianne and Mia seemed familiar with the Count’s chambers; they deftly dodged dog toys scattered on the plush rug to stand in front of the Count’s large mahogany desk. Lis came in first of the other three, and lightly kicked the toys out of his path before coming to stand behind Marianne. Miku and Edge rejoined the others last. 

With everyone settled in front of him, the Count smiled broadly and rested his hands on the desk in from of him. A small white poodle popped out from his lap and began panting with a broad smile, its feathery tail whisking back and forth on its owner’s greenish coat.

“Hi, Mr. Count--- er, Your Grace! Hi, Margherita!” Mia piped up with unconcealed excitement. “Mr. Count--- um, Your Grace, can I pet Margherita, please?”

“But of course!” the Count replied with a broad smile. Standing on her tiptoes, Mia stretched her arm across the broad desk and began rubbing the dog’s head. The Count looked up at Marianne with palpable concern.

“Is your father really okay with this…?” he muttered. Marianne nodded.

“He’s the one who suggested it.”

She gave a resigned shrug. With a nod of acknowledgement, he turned to face the group as a whole.

“Greetings, one and all. As I am sure Marianne has told you, you have been brought here today to receive an initiation mission, of sorts, to prove your skill as adventurers and become officially recognized as a guild of Tharsis. Do you accept these terms?”

Murmurs of assent rippled through the group. Mia stopped petting Margherita and clasped her hands in front of her obediently, listening intently to the Count’s every word.

“Wonderful! Now, then, let’s get down to business. I'd like for you to head to the Old Forest Mine on the outskirts of the city and excavate some Iridescent Ore. We had thought the vein was mined dry, but some time ago, a certain explorer found that there was more to be had.”

The Count picked up a glittering stone that was being used as a paperweight, and held it up to the beam of sunlight shining through the window behind him. As soon as it hit the sunbeam, a halo of rainbow light surrounded it, and the explorers gasped in awe.

“The Iridescent Ore is a pretty thing. Shine light on it, and it refracts it into all the colors of the rainbow… But its true worth is not found in its beauty! Though I'll explain more about that if you complete the mission.”

He turned to Marianne, still holding the fragment of Iridescent Ore to the light. “Now then, it seems that your comrades are all kitted out for exploration, but if you need to buy any supplies, do not hesitate to tell me. I’ll provide half of the reward for this mission in advance if you require it.”

Marianne turned to the group behind her and looked them over carefully. “You guys need anything? Mia, you have your dagger, right?”

“Yep!”

Mia grinned and held up a shining golden dagger. Edge, Miku, and Lis recoiled.

“Why the hell has she got a _dagger_!?” Lis barked. “Isn’t she a _Runemaster_!?”

Miku elbowed Lis in the ribs, causing him to hiss in pain and rub his side. Marianne simply shot him a cold glare and answered with, “It is a blessed dagger that allows her to channel her magical powers more efficiently and write her runes in the air rather than on the ground. Very few Runemasters are able to master this method of channeling, even adults.”

She glanced over at Edge. “You need any armor or weapons?” she inquired. “Do you wield rapiers or swords?”

“Rapiers,” Edge answered, unsheathing his own and holding it out for Marianne to inspect. The blade was crusted with blood, and the hilt was handworn and rusted. Marianne raised an eyebrow at the sight.

“You’ve been exploring before?” the Count inquired, looking at Edge’s rapier with interest.

“Sometimes I go out and gather monster parts,” Edge explained with a cool smirk. “It’s actually rather lucrative for the average resident; it’s how I’ve made a living since moving here.”

“He can tell us about the monsters in the mine,” Marianne said. “And I’ll be our cartographer.”

“Have you got parchment and supplies?”

Marianne turned to face the source of the inquiry, the Count. “Yes, Your Grace,” she replied with a smile of gratitude. “I have already bought all of the general supplies we’ll need for this mission.”

She looked back at Lis and Miku.

“And you both have your supplies?”

Miku nodded, gripping the strap of her bag tightly. Lis patted his hips; steel blades rattled, and he gave a satisfied nod.

“So you all have supplies? And you do know where the Old Forest Mine is, do you not?”

“I do.”

Edge flashed a brief wave of the hand at the Outland Count.

“Young man… Could you please step forward for a moment?”

Marianne and Mia parted to allow Edge to step to the front and center, which he did, albeit rather hesitantly.

The Count chuckled, and with a sheepish smile, admitted that he had forgotten to ask for everyone’s names. “I know Marianne and Mia, as I keep in regular contact with their father,” he explained, “but I do not know the rest of you.”

“I’m Lis.”

“My name is Miku.”

“And you can call me Edge.”

The Count pursed his lips and rested his hand on his chin, falling deep into thought. Finally, a spark of realization flashed through his eyes.

“I think I remember hearing about…” he muttered. He glanced back up at Edge, who was biting his lip hard enough that he was drawing blood. “Ah, but excuse me. I’m sure I must be mistaken. You simply reminded me of someone I met once, long ago.”

Edge jerked his head in a strange sort of gesture of acknowledgement, or something like that. “I get that a lot.”

“Well, I mustn’t keep you waiting! Best of luck to all of you in the Old Forest Mine!”

With that, Guild Muninn left the Count’s office with waves and words of farewell, to prove their mettle in the abandoned mine near Tharsis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guild Muninn:
> 
> Marianne Katsaros
> 
> Age: 25
> 
> Class: Fortress
> 
> Guild head
> 
> \---
> 
> Lis Edwards
> 
> Age: 17
> 
> Class: Nightseeker
> 
> Guild member
> 
> \---
> 
> Mia Katsaros
> 
> Age: 10
> 
> Class: Runemaster
> 
> Guild member
> 
> \---
> 
> Miku Lin
> 
> Age: 17
> 
> Class: Medic
> 
> Guild member
> 
> \---
> 
> "Edge"
> 
> Age: 30
> 
> Class: Landsknecht
> 
> Guild member


	4. The Old Forest Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice, finally getting to some exploration! I miscounted; I actually had 4 chapters done. XD Hopefully posting these first few chapters should help motivate me to write some more on it!
> 
> I forgot how goddamn long this one is compared to the others... God, AO3 formatting is a bitch...
> 
> ...Wait, they added a Rich Text option? Thank GOD. I'm having to copy-paste from Google Docs and the first three chapters I did HTML formatting...

The Old Forest Mine was a vibrant grove absolutely teeming with life. Unlike the Windy Plains, flat and sparsely dotted with deciduous trees over the sprawling green grass, the mine was far more tropical in nature. Baobab trees with vibrant green canopies and glossy trunks stretched high above the explorers; leafy ferns and colorful flowers lined the paths that previous adventurers had paved with their boots. Even here, in the small, enclosed pathway of the entrance, the cries of monsters and birds could be heard further within.

But said creatures were not this far out, and the only thing disturbing the tranquility around them was the breeze pushing through the foliage and tussling their hair.

“Edge, you said you’ve been here before, right? You should lead the way, then.”

Marianne’s sharp voice cut through the peaceful quiet surrounding them.

“I’ll draw the map, of course, so there’s no need to worry about that. But we’re depending on you to tell us about the monsters here and to show us the way through.”

“Right.”

Edge unsheathed his rapier with a weary sigh and beckoned the others to follow him.

The entrance path soon opened up into a larger grove, with a single tree in the center, rising much farther up than the others, and protected, in a sense, by a wall of smaller trees and foliage. Though there were no hostile presences just yet, Edge was still watching his surroundings carefully as he led the rest of the guild through the beginning of the mine.

“I’m gonna go ahead and tell you guys, I haven’t been to the back of the mine. And I’m guessing that’s where---”

The swordsman suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening. The others stopped behind him, watching with curious anticipation as he moved his left foot, bent down, and ran his fingers through the springy grass.

Not but a minute later, he pulled his hand back up, clasping a golden chain. And at the end of this chain was a small, golden locket, glinting in the sunlight despite its weather-worn appearance.

Edge frowned at the necklace; his eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed. His expression was inscrutable, somehow soft despite its stern appearance. With his free hand, he pulled the locket closer to his face and flipped the clasp.

"Sorry, but you mind leaving that alone? I'm a little embarrassed to let anyone else see it."

The four people standing up whirled around to face the one approaching them from behind. Edge, however, was frozen in place, his jaw fallen slightly, almost imperceptibly open.

“Er… Hello?”

Edge hurried up off the ground and turned to face the man who had come up, forgetting, for now, his rapier sticking out of the soft earth.

The one to whom the locket belonged was a sleepy-looking man, with a large sack slung over his shoulders. His soft gray hair was messy, but in a natural sort of way, and his brown eyes were jovial and teasing despite the lines in his face. But despite his disheveled appearance and battered Landsknecht’s armor, he seemed to be a friendly sort, as evidenced by his slight blush and crooked grin upon seeing the locket grasped tightly in Edge’s fist.

Upon seeing the man, Edge’s face flushed a deep red, and he began stammering incoherently. The gray-haired man snorted and covered the lower half of his face with his hand to hide his own growing blush.

“I’ve never had a _man_ react this way to me before, but I have to say, I’m flattered,” he teased, reaching over and grabbing the locket out of Edge’s slackening fingers.

“C-C-C…”

“Edge, step back and _calm down_.”

Marianne stepped in front of Edge, facing him, and took him by the shoulders.

“What’s wrong with you? Do you know this guy?”

Edge, his brain circuitry fried, could only nod. The stranger behind them chuckled.

“I’m not too sure about that myself. I’ve never met anyone by that name before.”

“See, Edge? It’s not the same person.”

Marianne patted Edge’s shoulders and turned back to face the easygoing stranger.

“So, who _are_ you, then?”

“Me? I’m Whirlwind. Though that’s really just a nickname… And you are?”

“We’re the Muninn Guild.”

Marianne heard a loud squeak behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see Edge with his hand clamped over his mouth, but with an eyeroll, she ignored him and continued conversing with Whirlwind.

“We came here for our initiation mission, and we need to find some Iridescent Ore. You know where we could find some?”

“Nice meeting you, Muninn Guild. You came to the right guy if you’re looking for that. After all, I’m the one who found it in the first place!”

He reached into a smaller bag hanging from his shoulder and pulled out a piece of parchment and unfurled it. He came to stand by Marianne, who had her own parchment and pen at the ready, and pointed to a spot on his map for her to mark.

“So, you can draw your own map, huh? That’s good to hear. After all, your map’s your lifeline if you’re going to chase Yggdrasil.”

“I’ve never actually had to draw a map in the labyrinth before, but I do know the basics of cartography. My dad had me learn mapmaking when I was a kid.”

With a friendly smile, Whirlwind clasped Marianne’s shoulder.

“Don't worry, if I can do it, anyone can!”

Marianne flashed him a grim smile of her own, though such a topic really wasn’t a laughing matter…

“If you want, when you think you're done with your map of this Old Forest Mine, bring it here and I'll look it over for you. I'll be at the entrance.”

With a quick, fluid wave, he adjusted the large bag on his back, and turned and headed back towards the entrance of the mine. Once he was around the corner, Marianne faced the party- or, more specifically, a certain Landsknecht -with a stern expression.

“Please, for the love of the gods, tell me that this isn’t going to be your _typical_ reaction to every attractive man we come across.”

Edge looked drained, but at Marianne’s stabbing accusation, he blushed again, and nervously rubbed the back of his neck with a crooked grin. “Your dad mentioned someone named Whirlwind, you know. Said he helps out all the guards and new explorers.”

“Makes sense Dad would know someone like him.”

Marianne glanced over her shoulder.

“Though I’ve never really seen him around the guild hall before. His guild must be pretty skilled if he’s in here alone, so maybe they never need to come by for anything anymore.”

“Or he could be a solitary explorer…” Lis mused.

“Though… That generally doesn’t happen too often. And I can’t fathom a Landsknecht travelling by themselves. Usually they work better with support.”

The Fortress shrugged.

“Well, that’s not our problem. We need to go find that ore.”

Edge nodded and gestured to the others.

“Right. Follow me, then. I can get us through the first half of the mine.”

\-----

The mine was surprisingly quiet today. The party of explorers had already passed a small pond, across which they could see deposits of shining ore jutting out of the earth, yet no monsters had appeared. Edge had explained that although he knew that that was where the Iridescent Ore could be mined, he had never been back in that room because it was host to a nasty bevy of baboons.

The others’ faces had paled at that revelation, until Edge added that he simply didn’t feel like risking his life for ore he didn’t need.

In truth, Edge had never bothered going back there because he didn’t _know_ the ore back there was so valuable, and was too lazy to go chasing after baboons for no profit, but the others didn’t need to know that.

Now, however, the Landsknecht was knelt down in front of a gap in the foliage. A small breeze wafted through, tousling his hair.

“I feel like we could get through here...but I dunno where we’d end up.”

With that, he stood back up and turned to head further into the mine, but gasped in surprise at what was there to greet him.

Four man-sized grasshoppers stood directly in the middle of the path, clicking their jaws menacingly.

“Grasseaters.”

Edge rested his hand on the sheath of his rapier, but when his fingers met air instead of the hilt of his sword, his eyes widened in horror.

Marianne glanced up from her mapmaking, but when she saw the sight in front of them, she hastily stuffed her cartography implements into her bag and stepped to the front of the group, her shield at the ready.

Lis pulled out his poison-coated daggers, and Mia readied her own blessed dagger to inscribe runes in the air.

“Avoid their back legs,” a red-faced Edge squeaked out. “I’ve got to go grab something real quick.”

He raced off, back around the corner, and when he was out of sight, the others could have sworn they heard him shout, “FUCK ME!!”

Marianne shook her head, and with a weary sigh, she pulled her mace off her back.

"Excuse me.”

Lis jumped into the air, over Marianne, and launched a dagger straight at the group of Grasseaters. It hit one in the tailbone, and the insectoid cried out and fell to the ground, twitching with paralysis.

Lis landed on the ground...rather gracelessly, actually. His ankle rolled beneath him as he landed, sending him sprawling on the ground face-first...right in the midst of the Grasseaters. He sat up in a hurry, pushing his thick white hair out of his face and scooting away from the three able-bodied bugs, who were now surrounding him with that same intimidating jaw-clicking.

“Eldkularuna!”

A fireball shot past Marianne and hit the Grasseater in the center; flames danced off of the projectile and set flame to the legs of the grasshoppers on either side of it. The central monster was set ablaze now, and its allies were jumping around in panic, trying to put their own flames out.

The unexpected turn of events snapped Lis out of his fear, and he quickly stood up, brandishing another dagger. He quickly assessed the situation of the two remaining monsters and readied his dagger, but as the flames slowly eating away at them grew larger, he faltered and stepped back.

This gave one of the Grasseaters the chance to kick him in the gut with its capable leg, sending him sprawling back onto the ground.

Marianne quickly stepped forward. Her spiked mace crashed down on the left Grasseater, completely crushing it. She dragged her mace towards her; bug guts scraped through the grass.

“Shit, am I too late!?”

“Mr. Edge!”

A familiar shield clattered to the ground beside Mia. Before anyone could react, Edge slid up beside Marianne on his knees, his rapier brandished in front of him. He effortlessly skewered the final Grasseater. It twitched once, lifelessly, on his blade, and then slackened.

“Heheh… You guys did good!”

Lis managed to gather himself, clutching his side as he limped over to the Grasseater with a dagger sticking out of its corpse. He pulled it out and slipped both of his daggers inside his cloak. Edge stood up, sheathing his rapier. The entire guild gathered around the corpses of the grasshoppers to regroup.

“Mr. Edge, don’t forget your shield!”

Edge looked down in surprise to see Mia holding up his red and white shield to him.

“Thanks, squirt.”

He ruffled her brown winter hat on her head and took the shield from her. She pouted as he put it on.

“I’m not just a kid, you know! I beat some of those...Grass...uh...Grasseaters!”

“And you did well,” Marianne spoke up. “You all did, in fact. Even Edge.”

Edge gave a low grunt of protest, but didn’t argue any further.

“I apologize for freezing up,” Lis said. “I didn’t know how to keep from getting burned.”

“It’s alright. We’ll figure that out eventually.”

“Li...Lis… Are you alright?”

Miku stepped forward, clutching the strap of her bag. Her face was stoic, but her rapidly darting eyes betrayed her anxiety.

“I’m fine, I’m…”

Lis hissed through his teeth and clutched his side. Miku rushed over to him.

“You do not have any broken bones, do you?”

“I told you, I’m…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence for suddenly gasping in pain. Miku pulled up his shirt.

“Hm…”

She gently pressed his ribs with her spindly fingers.

“Nothing appears to be broken. You will simply be sensitive in this area for some time.”

She flipped the clasp of her green leather bag and reached inside, brandishing a small bottle of medicine.

“This should help.”

She opened the bottle of medicine and began applying some to Lis’s injury. The Nightseeker’s face went red from his neck to his ears, his mouth twitching as he tried to keep his composure.

Edge snorted and looked over at Marianne. “Teenagers, am I right?” he whispered.

“Not like _you_ can talk. At least Lis didn’t forget his weapons when he saw a cute guy.”

Edge covered his face with his shield to hide his growing blush.

“There.”

Miku tucked Lis’s shirt back into his pants. Stepping back to admire her handiwork, she closed her bag and turned to face the others.

“Please, do not be afraid to tell me about any injuries you may have. You are not a nuisance, as this is my job.”

She jerked her head down the path, in the direction of the new and uncharted.

“Now then, shall we continue forward?”

\-----

Some ways into the Old Forest Mine, after walking through narrow forest paths and large, sunny clearings alike, the party reached a small pond cutting through the middle of a twisting trail. As they walked along the pond’s shore, they slowly felt a strong sense of utter dread creep over them. Marianne slowly folded her map closed and peered down the path.

At the other end of the path was a formidable baboon twice the size of a man and thrice as muscular. Upon spotting the party, its face twisted into an expression of malice, but it made no move to charge, simply continuing to lumber down the forest path towards them.

“Step back,” Edge hissed, holding out an arm to his side to push the others back. Leading them back, they crept to the other corner of the pond as the baboon strolled down the path forward.

“I don’t come in here all that much because the baboons have the run of this part of the mine. Not much money to be found in the free areas. But we have to find a way past now.”

“You know…” Marianne whispered. “It didn’t charge at us. It seems content to walk along the path undisturbed. Maybe we could...sneak in behind it?”

Edge turned back over his shoulder to stare at Marianne incredulously just as the baboon reached the end of the path and turned around.

“Are you _crazy_!? That thing could pound us to a pulp! It’s not worth it to try!”

“Well, if we’re going, we’ve got to go now.”

Marianne burst out in front of Edge, motioning for the others to follow her lead. They hesitantly followed her, except for Edge, who gaped at them in shock. But, seeing that his words would not be swaying her, he ran after them.

They all crept silently behind the baboon, watching their every breath. If they made any noise, they could send the baboon flying into a rage.

Soon, the trees opened up to their left, and they all slipped through effortlessly. As they all kept watch behind them to make sure the monster wasn’t going to come after them, Marianne began sketching on the map.

“Woooah, that was fun!” Mia cheered from Marianne’s side. “It was like we were in an action novel!!”

Lis gave her an exasperated look. “It was very dangerous, Mia. We’re lucky we got through unscathed.”

“Thank you for following us and being quiet, Mia,” Miku said quietly.

“Yeah! Of course! I’m really smart, that’s what Daddy and Mari always say!”

Mia grabbed onto Marianne’s arm and stood on her tiptoes, peering over her sister’s well-toned biceps to look at the map. “Whatcha doin’, Mari?” she inquired.

“I’m just marking our path from back there,” Marianne answered. With a satisfied nod, she glanced back up and looked down the path.

“I was thinking we should head down that dead end first, and see if there’s anything of interest down there. What do you all think we should do?”

The others stared at her for a moment, glanced at each other briefly, and nodded.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

At the end of the path was a tall fern, with thick, glossy leaves.

“Oh!”

Miku stepped forward and inspected the fern carefully.

“This is… Erm, ah, explorers l-like to call it the Tra...Traveller’s Friend. B...because it has rejuvenative properties, you see.”

Her face was flushed with embarrassment, though oddly enough, it looked more silver than red on her pale skin.

“I-if we...if we crack o-open its leaves… It will have water inside. Shall we have some?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Lis replied. “I could use a drink right now.”

“So could I,” Edge muttered with a derisive snort. Ignoring his comment, Lis knelt down in front of the fern, beside Miku, and snapped a leaf. The water inside had a raw smell, causing Lis to wrinkle his nose a bit, but nonetheless he held his head back and tipped the open end of the leaf back into his mouth.

“Hmm. Pretty good. I feel better already.” He wiped his mouth.

The other three knelt down in front of the fern as well and snapped leaves off; Miku did the same.

“Ah, shit.”

Marianne glared at Edge, who had uttered that curse because he’d spilled his leaf into his lap.

“Uh, sorry.”

Edge gave her a sheepish grin, but her stern expression did not falter. Seeing this, he hastily tossed the empty leaf to the ground and grabbed another one.

As everyone finished drinking from their leaves and wiped off their mouths, they suddenly became aware of a loud clicking noise behind them. They looked behind them, apprehension growing in the pit of their stomach, to come face to face with a horde of Grasseaters.

“Shit, not these guys again. After all those easy encounters, too.”

With that, Edge stood up and unsheathed his rapier, taking a defensive stance. The others came to their feet around him, readying their weapons.

“Well, at least we had a short rest before this. Those Rollers hit hard,” Marianne said, lifting her mace in her left hand and holding her shield up on her right arm.

“Right then, let’s go.”

Edge rushed forward and speared a Grasseater on his rapier, sliding to a stop on his knees with his rapier held high in the air. The Grasseater slid down to the hilt, smearing the blade with its blood.

Lis aimed a dagger at one of the Grasseaters farther back and hit it directly between the eyes. It began flailing its legs about wildly, blinded by the poisons in the dagger.

“Eldkularuna!”

A fireball shot forward and hit the back row of Grasseaters, setting them both aflame and ending their lives quickly as they burned to ash.

The last one left was standing in the front of the formation. Marianne easily crushed it with her mace, which was crackling with electricity.

“...We’ll have to be more careful in the future,” Marianne said breathlessly. The others nodded.

“Now then, let us continue forward.”

So they did, heading north up the path.

“Oh, Edge, you said there might be a passageway some ways back, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I think we’re coming up on the other side. Let’s turn here.”

The party turned east at a crossroads and reached a dead end. “Looks like it leads nowhere to me,” Lis mumbled.

Edge crouched down in front of the wall of trees, reaching his hand into a small gap in the foliage. He pushed the bushes back and stuck his head in the gap.

“That’s pretty dangerous, you bloody fool,” Lis called out. He turned to Miku with a smirk. “Watch him, he’ll come out with a Roller clinging to his face.”

Edge pulled his head back out. He stood up and turned to face the others. “Yeah, this leads back to the start. We should walk through here to forge a path for next time we’re in here.”

“Thank you, Edge.”

Marianne made a quick note on her map. Edge smirked at Lis, his ice-blue eyes filled with a mirthful arrogance.

The party stepped through the passageway and pushed their way through branches and sharp leaves to come back out to the small river they’d passed on their way in. The exposed mining spot was still shining in the sunlight, almost as if to taunt them. A baboon of the same species as the other one lumbered along over the mining path; another one could be seen further back doing the same thing.

“We’ll have to be observant when we’re mining for the Iridescent Ore,” Marianne noted to no one in particular.

With that out of the way, the party went back through the passageway and came out on the western end of the mine.

They soon made their way to a clearing in the corner of the mine. To their right, they could see a towering brown door, with colorful and intricate patterns painted on its surface. In the far corner of the room there stood a lone Tharsian guard. He hailed the guild with a friendly wave. They approached him in turn.

“Hi there. Here on a mission?” he asked, his cheer apparent even through his helm. “I came to investigate this place, but honestly, all these baboons are wearing me out. Aren’t you tired too?”

Marianne waved her hand with a shy smile. “Oh no, we’re quite alright, than---”

“ _I’m_ tired, Mari!” Mia whined, grabbing onto her sister’s folded arm and swing-hopping forward so as to be more prominent among the group.

“You certainly don’t look it…” Marianne replied with a sigh. She turned back to the guard. “Well, she’s tired, which I guess is because she’s so young.”

“Oh! You’re the Guildmaster’s daughters, right? Makes sense you’d all be in here! Well, I have just the thing for when you get too tired to go on.”

The guard rummaged around in his knapsack for a minute before extracting a small bottle of blue medicine.

“Here, a Medica. Drink it and your stamina will be restored. But if things turn sour, don’t hesitate to head back to Tharsis.”

Marianne took the Medica with a surprised expression. “Thank you, sir.”

“No problem! Good luck out there.”

With that and a short wave, he took his leave of the clearing. Once he was safely on his way, Marianne turned to Miku and handed her the Medica.

“You can make use of this a lot better than I can.”

“Of course, Ms. Marianne.”

Miku stored the Medica away in her bag.

“Well, no time like the present. Let’s go in!”

To everyone’s shock, Edge pushed the doors into the next area open and strode through them.

“W-wasn’t he the one who said we shouldn’t walk behind the baboon!?” Lis asked incredulously. “What the hell does he think he’s doing-- Ow!!”

He shot a glare at Miku and rubbed his side. But Miku’s face betrayed no shame.

“Come on, let’s just follow the idiot,” Marianne said as she briskly strode to the doors that were only half-closed now.

They came in on Edge stumbling back from the path forward, a giant baboon walking towards him. Everyone froze in horror upon seeing the cruelty and malice in its face.

But the baboon ignored the Landsknecht and turned the corner to stroll along the other side of the pond.

“I grabbed some stones but I dunno what they are,” Edge whispered, shoving several gray, flat ores onto a flustered Marianne. “I saw the Iridescent Ore right when I could sense the damn monkey hovering down my neck, so I’ll run back and grab it.”

Edge rushed back over to the mining spot, his trowel at the ready. He knelt down on the dirt path with his back turned to the others, fiddled around for a minute, and then stood back up with a gleaming stone held triumphantly in the air. He waved the others towards him as he ran to the left, alongside the pond that the baboon had originally turned down.

The others raced after him, keeping a good distance between the two foes.

“I’ve...never actually encountered an F.O.E. before,” Edge wheezed as he led the group around the long end of the pond. “Pretty f-- frickin’ terrifyin’ if you ask me!”

“An F.O.E.? You mean a foe?” Lis crowed from the back of the group.

When they reached the top of the clearing, Edge turned back and smugly replied, “No, Lis, an _F.O.E._ A...formidable… Shit, I can’t remember what it stands for. Some crazy Latin shit.”

Marianne clamped her hands over Mia’s ears.

“Aaaanyways, let’s make a break for it!”

The guild ran through the narrow tree-lined path to the north and soon reached the topmost corner of the mine.

“Ooooh, Mari, look over there!”

Mia bounded over to a squat, lavender box sitting at the dead end to the north. It was as big as a person, with a heavy lid to match, as was evident when Mia began grunting and trying to shove it off with all the force her tiny little body could muster.

With a sigh, Marianne came up behind the young girl and lifted the lid off with ease. “You have to be careful, Mia,” she chided. “This one might be safe, but in far-off lands there are mimic chests that hide monsters.”

Mia bent down into the chest as far as she could stretch and swiped a Medica out. “Hey, Miku!” she shouted, waving the bottle in the air like a torch. “Look! It’s medicine!”

“Th...thank you…”

Miku walked over to Mia and took the Medica out of her hand, storing it away in her bag for now.

“...Do we have to go back through that bloody room?”

Everyone turned to Lis, who was glancing back down the path apprehensively.

“Surely there’s a passageway back to the entrance, “ Marianne reassured him. She began scanning her map. “Edge, you look along the edge of the trees for one.”

“Oh.”

“Ah, maybe…”

Marianne glanced at the corner of the tree line, across from the opened chest; Edge was pushing the entangled branches apart. When he had an opening made, he stepped inside and disappeared entirely for a minute. He soon came back out, covered in leaves and scratches, but giving a thumbs-up.

“Wonderful. This is perfect.”

Everyone followed Edge through the passageway. They came out at the entrance to the mine, right behind the largest tree in the entire dungeon.

Marianne put her pens and such away, but kept the map out. “Edge,” she began sternly, “I’m going to be asking Whirlwind if our map is satisfactory. _You_ keep your mouth shut. We don’t need another _incident_.”

“H-hey!”

Edge’s face was red as a beet. Lis began laughing at his indignation.

“Dude, you forgot your sword because you saw a cute guy! Just keep your mouth shut!”

“Th-that’s not--!”

But Edge abruptly closed his mouth, his face and ears still burning red. Lis was still chuckling.

Soon, the party came to the entrance of the mine, where Whirlwind was sitting back on a fallen log. Upon seeing the group, he stood up. With a friendly grin gracing his features, he hailed them over.

“Oh, hey guys! Back already?”

“Yes. I have something I’d like you to look over, if you don’t mind.”

Marianne held out her rolled-up map to Whirlwind.

“Oh, want me to take a look at this map? Alright, let’s see here…”

Whirlwind took the parchment and unfurled it. He began poring over it, his expression changing from contemplative to pleasantly surprised.

“This is nicely done, considering the time it took. I’m surprised how well drawn it is! In fact, it’s detailed enough that I’m surprised none of you have ever been in the mine before! Looks complete to me.”

He handed it back to Marianne. “Actually,” Marianne began, jabbing a thumb in Edge’s direction, “Edge _has_ been in here occasionally, apparently. Something about how the money from selling monster parts is pretty lucrative for your average resident.”

Whirlwind raised his eyebrows. “Is that _so_ …? I’m surprised I’ve never met him in here, then. I’ve lived here for ten years, y’know, so I know pretty much everyone who comes into the mine or the Lush Woodlands.”

Edge’s face paled considerably at that. “Must just be dumb luck…” he mumbled.

“Hmm?”

Whirlwind glanced over at the fellow Landsknecht.

“I-it must’ve just been dumb luck… I’ve lived here ten years too.”

Shock flickered over Whirlwind’s face, but his countenance soon relaxed into its usual easygoing expression. “We’ll have to catch up some time, then,” he said. “You can usually find me at the Dancing Peacock or the Mark Grand Court when I’m in Tharsis, though I’m usually at the latter on business.”

Edge’s face brightened at his offer. “It’s a date, then!” he agreed.

Whirlwind nodded. He began tapping his finger on his chin, lost in thought.

“Oh, right! You got yourself some Iridescent Ore?”

He looked at them all expectantly. Edge held up the shining stone that had been safely in his pocket this entire time.

“I thought so, since you seemed so pleased,” Whirlwind said. “Anyway, that wraps it up for your mission. Congrats, you’re an official guild now! Or, you will be once you take that to the Count.”

He turned to the entrance.

“Anyway, I’ve gotta go back to Tharsis myself. Y’all should be heading back too. See you around!”

The party thanked Whirlwind for his assistance and waved as he headed down the path to Tharsis. Once he was well out of sight on the horizon, they all made their way back to town as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn that Edge is too gay to function, yet he somehow manages to snag a date with a cute guy anyways, much to Marianne's chagrin. XD Not that she'll be able to talk once she meets Wiglaf... ;)


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